Kayla M. Malone is a Ph.D. candidate in Applied Developmental Science and Special Education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she's also earning a graduate certificate in Participatory Research. She also received her Master's in Education in Special Education from North Carolina State University and earned a graduate certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis from the Pennsylvania State University. A first-generation college student from rural Southeastern North Carolina, Kayla brings over a decade of experience supporting autistic individuals across schools, clinics, and community spaces. Their interdisciplinary scholarship appears in leading journals including Autism in Adulthood, Exceptional Children, Journal of Special Education, and Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, and has been supported by grants from the Organization for Autism Research, the Southern Equality Research and Policy Center, and the U.S. Office of Special Education Programs.